Letter-writers sound off on Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle's comments at town hall meeting in Wayne County

Mike Greenlar/The Post-Standard MORE THAN 100 people attended a town hall meeting Feb. 3 with Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle at the Newark Municipal Building in Wayne County.

Ignorance raises questions about
how informed Buerkle is on issues
To the Editor:
The coverage Feb. 4 of Ann Marie Buerkle’s first town hall meeting, described as “wedding-like,” was deeply disturbing. That Buerkle actually needed a staffer to tell her that the government, using taxpayer money, was paying a portion of her health care coverage raises serious questions about how informed she is about any of the issues on which she will be voting.

Hopefully, she will do her homework so 1) she will understand the role government plays in making this the great country it is by caring for those in need; 2) she will realize the serious threat to the American dream if she votes to interfere with the private relationship between a woman and her doctor; 3) she will have a broader knowledge and understanding of the value of the health care bill to all citizens and; 4) she will learn how urgent it is for this country, if we care at all about the future for our children and grandchildren, to take responsible action regarding the environmental crisis.

Since, in reality, she only represents a very small majority of voters in this district, I challenge her to be a true representative of her whole constituency.

Jaqueline Michel
Fayetteville

Buerkle’s actions so far show
blatant hypocrisy and ignorance
To The Editor:
I am sickened by Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle’s blatant hypocrisy and personal agenda. How dare she lie during the campaign and say jobs, not abortion, will be her platform and yet she immediately became a rabid activist once again. She states that she is against government regulation and intervention, yet wants both in regards to women’s rights and control of their bodies.

She has voted against health care, yet hasn’t even bothered to cancel the taxpayers’ payment of her health plan. If the Republicans are serious about spending cuts, they need to start with themselves and start paying for their own health care. How about sponsoring such a bill? It is reprehensible that Buerkle needs a note passed from a staffer to inform her that we the taxpayers pay for her health care.

Ignorance and hypocrisy will be fought on all levels. We will work together to unseat Buerkle in the next election. Then she can retire to Wayne County in good riddance.

Jill M. Fox

Jamesville

Buerkle and House should end
taxpayer subsidies of insurance

To the Editor:
I was at the Wayne County town hall meeting where the barely-elected Representative from the 25th Congressional District, Ann Marie Buerkle, was appearing. Buerkle, who had just voted to repeal what some refer to as “Obamacare,” told the audience she didn’t understand why people were expressing an interest in her health insurance.

She said: “I get health insurance from my job, and I pay for it, the premium is taken out of my salary.”

Sounded good, but it wasn’t the truth. Buerkle chose to enroll in the kind of taxpayer-subsidized health insurance program the rest of us want, but she doesn’t want us to have. She pays roughly $5,000 a year for her part of the premium, and the taxpayers pay around $10,000 a year, to subsidize it for her.

Later in the evening a note from her chief of staff explained the situation to her, and she announced that part of her premium was paid by her employer, the government. The same way that other people get health insurance from their employers. Except, it’s not the same way that other people get insurance from their employers, because many employees are not offered health insurance by their employers. This was a problem addressed in the bill Buerkle had just voted to repeal.

Also, Buerkle’s reference to “the government” was hardly accurate. She should have said: “You the taxpayers are paying the rest of my premium.” Then she should have said, “But I only want you to subsidize the cost of Congress’s health insurance. Not anyone else’s.” And she should have said, “Despite everything I said about government being too big, and costing too much, when it comes to providing me with health insurance plans and options, I like it just fine.”

If Buerkle and her fellow House Republicans want to trim the budget and do away with taxpayer subsidies of taxpayers’ health insurance, their efforts should start right in their own House.

D. Johnston
Camillus

Buerkle deserves better than
condescending headline on meeting
To the Editor:
“Buerkle Learns to Listen”? What a condescending headline to describe Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle’s town meeting in Wayne County.

Buerkle is an excellent listener as well as a nurse and attorney. You should be ashamed to write such trashy headlines.

The Post-Standard apparently has not gotten over the defeat of former Rep. Dan Maffei, their chosen candidate, who spent more than three times the money that Buerkle did during the recent campaign. He apparently could not convince enough voters that he supported them instead of Nancy Pelosi.

You owe Buerkle and your readers an apology, and more professional treatment in the future.